


Twinkling Starlight

by Ramzes



Series: The King and the Bastards [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 10:19:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14518353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramzes/pseuds/Ramzes
Summary: To some people, the death of Aegon IV and the ascension of Daeron II was a curse; to others, it was a blessing. To little Shiera Seastar, it's just uncertainty and fear. And the new King's non-attitude doesn't help much.





	Twinkling Starlight

She did not remember her mother and she had never seen a portrait of hers. Later, she would learn that Serenei of Lys had been a beauty. Aegon had had a reason to fall in love with her… and this was where Shiera would dismiss the teller as someone incapable of sound judgment, unless they were just retelling a story they had heard from someone else, of course. No one who had spent a day in King Aegon’s company could ever deem him capable of love, no matter what the King himself said at his deathbed.

Not that Shiera had spent this much time in his company – and not that she bemoaned it. She had her three chambers, her servants, and her septa. What more could she wish for? Sometimes, the King remembered her existence and sent for her. But he never asked how she was and what she did – all he did was ramble on about her mother and how different it would have been if she had lived. Even at the tender age of five, Shiera knew it was not true, although it would be many years before she could form the reasoning for this conviction of hers: no one could save Aegon, for he had been beyond anyone’s saving, anyone’s control. With him, it was always someone else who was to blame. Even Lady Serenei for dying…

“If my lady mother were alive, would she have let me study the old scrolls?” Shiera asked at one of these meetings because the maesters were always quick to turn her away from the library, scared that she would damage the precious old tomes.

Aegon burst out laughing. “Hardly! Serenei was a woman who was too busy being a woman to waste her time on dusty parchments. I am not sure she could read. Do you know your letters already?”

No, he was not a man who would override the maesters. He could but he wouldn’t. Shiera was too young to fear him but she knew he did not care about her.

When he died, she felt no sorrow. How could she? But she knew that her life had just been changed by the way the servants whispered, the way Septa Donella was careful to keep her away from certain parts of the Red Keep. She did not fear the new King, Daeron, the Second of His Name, and she did not fear his Dornish Queen either – in their short times at King’s Landing, they paid her no attention, instead focusing on their youngest son who – Shiera could see it and not just hear it from the gossip that was a thing with a life of its own in the Red Keep – did not wish to be here, in the only home she had ever known.

But nothing was as infectious as fear and Septa Donella’s fear rubbed onto her immediately. She would have rather liked to remain unnoticed but the Septa claimed that King Aegon had brought his heir’s wroth upon her – Shiera had no idea how. Why would a King be angry with a little girl? But the Septa believed it and little by little, she started believing it as well.

 

* * *

"Someone has been messing with my books,” Aerys claimed. “Ruining the pages.”

Mariah looked up from her accounts. “Mice in the library?” she mused. “I thought we were dealing with the rat infestation quite successfully,” she said and Daeron knew she did not mean  the animal variety. The court was quickly shaping into what they wanted to see of it – the library, less so, it seemed.

Right now, he was badly prepared to deal with domestic problems. The Master of Coin had just told him that the treasury was almost empty and he had not needed to make sure personally – he was astounded that they were not in even greater debts, with his late father’s whims. But it was a blow anyway.

“Someone is messing with my _seat_ ,” Baelor said, not quite looking at his father. “And my income.”

To Daeron’s relief, Mariah did  not take this opportunity to start talking him out of his decision, as fiercely opposed as she was to it. But she didn’t tell their son to shut up either. _You broke it, so you fix it,_ seemed to be her policy at the moment.

Of course, Aerys did not catch the real anger in his brother’s voice. Not when it was about _books_. “Someone has been turning the pages so carelessly that some of them are almost broken,” Aerys said and looked at his father. “What kind of people do you allow to the library?”

“Anyone who wishes to be there,” Daeron replied but his soft, casual answer was drowned by Baelor’s retort, “Someone – and I know who! – is delaying my investiture as the Prince of Dragonstone, so he can save on the celebration and perhaps even use the income for one more year and pay the dowry for Daemon’s betrothed!”

Even Aerys could not fail to notice the anger in Baelor’s retort. He looked from his brother to his father and said, “I got it, I got it. I’m shutting up.”

“You’d better,” Baelor said, less angrily this time.

Daeron hesitated, torn between leaving the room – leaving? Fleeing his own solar? Because of Baelor – and telling Baelor to leave. Unfortunately, the boy’s anger was not misplaced. Daeron gave another mental curse to his father and thought Aegon must be laughing right now. Every discord was welcome to him, although even he could not have envisioned this rift when he had worked his evil. His last act.

Naturally, Daemon did not appreciate the fact that Daeron kept the provisions Aegon had set for him. Oh, the boy had spoken all the words necessary but to him, they were a mere formality, this much was clear. He truly had no idea that he was not entitled to what he was getting. _I’ll have much work with this one,_ Daeron thought and wondered just how much time this would cut from his time with his own family.

At least the others would not need this much attention. Summon them at court from time to time, give them what Aegon had left, and the Blackwoods and Brackens would be pleased. These days, he’d have to talk to those responsible for the little girl’s household or rather, have Mariah do this. At least this was a simple task, with no expectations attached.

At the time he found his own way to the library, Daeron had already forgotten about the family discord. They would solve it over time. But right now, he had a few minutes to spare and he wanted to choose a book or two to bring to his chambers – not that he’d have the time to actually read it but it helped to know that it was there anyway.

Aerys’ mouse was there – in the chair his son usually occupied, in front of the only books the maesters left where they were, instead of taking them back to their place. No one but the King and Queen and their family enjoyed the privilege of finding their books where they had left them and Daeron was very surprised to find a little girl perched on the edge of the chair before the old books written in High Valyrian that no child this age could understand. “Hey, you there,” he said.

She looked up, startled, and slid off the chair to curtsey. “Your Grace,” she said and when he bade her rise, Daeron knew who she was. These mismatched eyes were a dead giveaway.

“Shiera,” he said and to his surprise, she drew back. Was this _fear_? Of him? “I apologize,” he said. “The Queen and I have been quite busy this last month and we didn’t summon you when we should have. I hope you have been well since the King’s death? Not neglected?”

She shook her head but the fear in her eyes did not dissolve. Daeron wondered who had put it there. The Seven knew that their father had not cared enough about the girl to spend enough time with her for this! “You really should be more careful with these books,” he said, inclining his head towards them. “They’re so old that every dog-earing can damage them irreparably.”

She glanced at them and Daeron saw a flash of horror in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said in a tiny voice. “I didn’t know.”

“Do you actually know High Valyrian?” he asked curiously. “And the old tongues?”

Shiera shook her head. “I’ve been teaching myself,” she said.

 _Or thinking that you were_ , Daeron thought but he would never disappoint a child so young about a purpose so exalted. “And do you think maesters can teach you something?” he asked. “The ones who tutor my Aerys in tongues old and new are very well learned. Do you wish to have a lesson or two with them?”

He saw how her face changed, lit up, became ecstatic. “Oh yes, Your Grace! I do!” she exclaimed.

She looked at him and smiled. The fear in her eyes disappeared. And in the years that followed, Daeron did not see it come back. Not once.

* * *

 

   


**The End**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Shiera Seastar and Daeron II Fanart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004333) by [RuffedLemur](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuffedLemur/pseuds/RuffedLemur)




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